HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Corbett has announced that Site Selection magazine, a publication specializing in the corporate real estate and economic development field, has ranked Pennsylvania as the top state in the northeast region for new corporate facilities in 2013. Pennsylvania has more successful projects than all other eight northeast states combined.

For the third year in a row, Pennsylvania also broke the top five nationally, ranking fourth nationwide for new or expanded corporate facilities in 2013.

“We’re investing in energy, in our infrastructure, in education, and in our workforce to build a stronger Pennsylvania because it’s those assets that attract business investment and create jobs,” said Corbett. “Every one of the 348 successful projects means new jobs and new opportunities for the people of Pennsylvania.”

Site Selection reported that Pennsylvania finished fourth in the nation with 348 new or expanded corporate facilities in 2013. The ranking is based on new corporate location projects that met at least one of the following criteria: involved a capital investment of at least $1 million, created at least 50 new jobs or added at least 20,000 square feet of space.

Also, for the third year in a row, Pennsylvania was rated the top state in the northeast region by the Governor’s Cup New Plant Scoreboard, which divides the country into seven regions. Pennsylvania’s 348 qualified projects topped the 334 qualified total projects of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

“With a clear mission of putting jobs first, we are sending a strong message to the nation and the world that businesses thrive in Pennsylvania,” said Corbett.

Pennsylvania also received recognition for successful projects in metropolitan areas throughout the state. The Greater Philadelphia Region ranked ninth among tier one areas with a total of 97 projects.

Two Pennsylvania metropolitan areas broke the top 10 including the Lehigh Valley with 46 projects and Altoona, which tied for first place among tier three metropolitan areas with 14 projects.

In 2012, Corbett launched JOBS1st PA as a comprehensive roadmap to economic recovery that harnessed the state’s resources and talents to prioritize private-sector job creation and retention. Today, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stands at a five-year low and jobs have been growing on a consistent basis for nearly four years.

Site Selection, the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council, is published six times annually and distributed to more than 44,000 executives responsible for site selection and facility planning decisions around the world. Site Selection’s Governor’s Cup has awarded top performing states for 35 years. The rankings are considered a benchmark by corporate real estate analysts.